The grave of the most successful female sniper in history Lyudmila Pavlinchenko at Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow, Russia
Lyudmila Mikhailovna Pavlichenko (July 12, 1916 in Bila Tserkva, Ukraine - October 10, 1974 in Moscow, Russia) was a Soviet sniper during World War II, credited with 309 kills, and is regarded as the most successful female sniper in history. In June 1941, 24-year old Pavlichenko was in her fourth year of studying history at the Kiev University when Nazi Germany began its invasion of the Soviet Union. Pavlichenko was among the first round of volunteers at the recruiting office, where she requested to join the infantry and subsequently she was assigned to the Red Army's 25th Rifle Division; Pavlichenko had the option to become a nurse but refused "I joined the army when woman were not yet accepted". There she became one of 2,000 female snipers in the Red Army, of whom about 500 ultimately survived the war. As a sniper, she made her first two kills near Belyayevka, using a Mosin-Nagant bolt action rifle with a 4-power scope. Pvt. Pavlichenko fought for about two and a half months near Odessa, where she recorded 187 kills. When the Germans gained control of Odessa, her unit was pulled to be sent to Sevastopol on the Crimean Peninsula, where she fought for more than 8 months. In May 1942, Lieutenant Pavlichenko was cited by the Southern Army Council for killing 257 German soldiers. Her total confirmed kills during World War II was 309, including 36 enemy snipers. In June 1942, Pavlichenko was wounded by mortar fire. Because of her growing status, she was pulled from combat less than a month after recovering from her wound. Pavlichenko was sent to Canada and the United States for a publicity visit and became the first Soviet citizen to be received by a President when Franklin Roosevelt welcomed her at the White House. Having attained the rank of Major, Pavlichenko never returned to combat but became an instructor and trained Soviet snipers until the war's end. In 1943, she was awarded the Gold Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union.
Size: 5616px × 3744px
Location: Novodevichy Cemetery, 2 Luzhnetski Proezd, Moscow, Moscow Oblast, Russia, Eastern Europe, Europe
Photo credit: © DE ROCKER / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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